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Mississippi and the emerging carbon storage industry

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Lawmakers hope Mississippi can become a key player in emerging carbon storage industry

For decades, natural resources from an extinct volcano called the Jackson Dome, about 3,000 feet below Mississippi’s capital , have given the a role in a multistate oil extraction business.ย ย 

The operation, known as enhanced oil recovery or EOR, takes natural carbon dioxide from the Dome, sends it through a pipeline to oil fields in Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas, and injects the CO2 into the ground to push oil out for production.

Now, as the United States government tries to encourage emissions reduction from industrial sources, Mississippi lawmakers are hoping that the same pipeline, owned by Denbury Inc., will give the state a new role in the emerging carbon capture business.ย 

Carbon capture and storage, or CCS, is an expensive method of reducing greenhouse gas emissions where a business separates CO2 from the other gasses it produces, and then transports it to a storage site where it’s injected into the ground for permanent storage.ย ย 

While CCS has existed for years, it was too costly for companies to consider without any incentive. But in 2018, the federal government enacted a tax credit that greatly expanded incentives for emitters.ย 

Mississippi House Energy Chair Rep. Brent Powell, R-Brandon, explained that companies hoping to receive the tax credit could potentially move to the state and use its existing pipeline for storage.ย 

โ€œWhat we’re hoping with this is that the landowners and the public can get some royalties for the storage, but we’d really like to see some industry come into the state that’s close to the pipeline,โ€ said Powell, who specified electric and fertilizer plants as businesses he envisions offloading their carbon in Mississippi.ย 

Under the program, both surface and mineral rights owners would be compensated, Powell, who wrote the bill, said.ย 

This year, Gov. Tate Reeves signed into House Bill 1214

The U.S Environmental Protection Agency currently regulates carbon storage wells in most of the country, but now states are hoping to obtain authority to meet growing interest locally.

Carbon Capture Coalition.

โ€œIf a guy’s adamant, โ€˜You’re not crossing my property,’ the Board’s not going to let (the company) cross their property,โ€ Powell said.ย 

Experts suggest that Mississippi, as well as its neighboring states, are prime locations for carbon storage because of their geology.ย 

Susan Hovorka, a research scientist at the University of Texas’ School of Geosciences, explained that the pore โ€“ tiny openings between grains of rock in the ground where gas can be stored โ€“ gives the Gulf Coast region an advantage over the rest of the country.ย 

โ€œThe Gulf Coast states are particularly well-endowed, when you look at maps of the pore space availability, these states shine out as winners,โ€ Hovorka said. โ€œThere are other states that have opportunity, but the Gulf Coast states’ opportunity is particularly excellent.โ€ย 

Beginning in 2008, Hovorka and other scientists conducted one of the first large-scale carbon storage tests in the U.S. at an oil field near Natchez owned by Denbury Inc.

Hovorka said while the program is new to most of the world, there’s a well-established practice for safely storing carbon.ย 

โ€œPeople can get some confidence because this is not new stuff being done for the first time,โ€ she said, mentioning the world’s first commercial capture and storage in Norway that began in 1996. โ€œIt’s old stuff being put to new uses to mitigate greenhouse gasses.โ€

But storing carbon and transporting it are two different things.ย 

Last month, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, or PHMSA โ€“ the federal agency in charge of pipeline safety โ€“ announced its findings from a 2020 gas leak in Satartia, Miss. The report found multiple failures on the part of Denbury, and proposed a penalty of $3.9 million against the company.

After the episode in Sataria, some advocates are questioning whether the country is prepared for an increased demand on carbon transportation.ย 

While both Powell and Snodgrass referenced the company as a proponent of starting a program in the state, Denbury told Mississippi Today it’s too early to say if it will begin carbon storage in the state. Denbury is currently securing spaces in other Gulf Coast states, Louisiana and Alabama, but likely wouldn’t start storage until 2025.ย 

โ€œI would say it’s premature,โ€ said Dan Cole, Denbury’s Vice President of Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage. โ€œWe’re certainly evaluating, are there some good potential storage sites in Mississippi?โ€

Cole said Denbury would be looking at large pieces of with few owners. He added that the company would use its existing EOR pipeline as long as it met the capacity needs for transporting carbon.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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Mississippi sees 5th largest increase in fatal crashes: study

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www.wjtv.com – Garret Grove – 2024-11-02 12:25:00

SUMMARY: A recent study highlights a troubling rise in road fatalities in Mississippi, with a nearly 31% increase in fatal accidents from 2012 to 2021, ranking it fifth highest in the country. The reported a spike during the 2024 Labor Day , responding to seven fatal crashes resulting in 15 deaths, to only three crashes and six deaths in 2021. Additionally, a 2023 showed Mississippi had the highest per capita fatal crashes during the Christmas period. Young drivers are particularly affected, as Mississippi ranks fifth for teenage driving fatalities nationwide.

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Vicksburg man charged with assaulting woman in domestic dispute

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www.wjtv.com – Kaitlin Howell – 2024-11-02 11:33:00

SUMMARY: In Vicksburg, Mississippi, a domestic assault led to the hospitalization of a man and woman on November 2. were alerted by Merit Region after a 28-year-old man, Daron Evans, arrived with a stab wound. Authorities dispatched to the scene found the woman, who had also been assaulted. After receiving treatment, Evans was and charged with aggravated assault domestic violence; he is held without bond until his court appearance. The woman is in stable at the of Mississippi Medical Center. An investigation is ongoing.

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Cloudy and humid weekend – Home – WCBI TV

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www.wcbi.com – Sadie Morris – 2024-11-02 10:13:00

SUMMARY: In Columbus, Mississippi, humid and cloudy weather is expected, with temperatures remaining above average in the lower 80s for the upcoming . Rain is forecasted for Election Day on Tuesday, continuing into the week with isolated showers likely. This Saturday will see patchy fog in the morning, clearing by midday, with a high around 80 degrees. Sunday will bring similar humidity, with a high in the lower 80s and mild overnight lows in the mid-60s. Throughout the week, expect persistent clouds and humidity alongside mild temperatures.

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